Why It Is Important To Question Our Intentions

I am well aware of how the power of intention is very popular among spiritual teachings. I don’t mean to discredit the use of intentions in our lives, intentions sure can be authentic and useful, but I have found that the most important question I could ask myself is: What would I do if all intentions within myself dissolved?

This can definitely feel like a bummer to the mind. “Well I hoped that by doing this it might lead me there, I anticipated this or that to happen…” It definitely seems like a second nature to think this way. Why do anything, if it’s not to get somewhere or get something out of it? I do understand this train of thought, and I am quite familiar with it as of late. I have experienced several breakdowns in the past month when I realized that most of the things I hoped for as a result of my decisions could or could not materialize. Every time a hope would creep in behind my choices, a breakdown eventually happened. Why?

To answer this question, notice the power in the question “what would you do if all intentions within you dissolved.” It removes all attachments to outcomes, to anything or anyone outside of you, and asks you directly: What do you TRULY feel pulled to do right now? Without hope for a specific outcome, mental “reasons” to do something and a need to fill a void or appease a fear, what do you feel pulled to do?

“Every breakdown is an opportunity for a breakthrough.”

It might be the same thing you are doing now, it might be something different, but the important thing is that instead of giving away your power outside of yourself by chasing/avoiding imaginary outcomes, you will completely embody the power that you have now – not to mention your natural state of peace. This embodiment goes beyond the need to rationalize and know “why” we do something intellectually or how it can fill the ego. It anchors you right back to your neutral inner-guidance, where you actually know what step you truly feel pulled to take and where you feel pulled to be for the highest good – without even the need to know why or overanalyze. It pushes you to face your fears and expectations so you can refresh your mind and connect with your heart – the portal to your soul.

“When you have no intention, then you have no tension! Be flexible.” – Mooji

WARNING: Emptying ourselves from intentions might throw us into a bit of an existential crisis. The more we have defined ourselves with projected outcomes, mental reasonings and ideas outside of us, the more we might feel lost and unmotivated in a reality in which we can no longer define ourselves and cling to any agenda. Two weeks ago, that happened to me. My motivation was gone, I didn’t know why I was doing anything anymore, I could no longer grasp anything mentally. It made everything feel worthless and pointless. Actually, here’s the facebook status I wrote at that moment: Anyone else feel like they are unlearning everything, like nothing seems so real anymore, that what once meant something to us is fading away, what used to motivate us motivates us no longer, that you can’t “understand” anything anymore, or at least not the way you used to? Kind of like a big reset button has been pushed.

This may feel like hell to the mind at first, but it’s a very important part of the process. Instead of always rushing back outside of ourselves and aim to restructure our external life to give ourselves a sense of “direction,” we need to take the time to stay within and just feel the confusion, the not-knowing, the lack of direction and intention. We are experiencing a great transformation, a “reset” so we can replace pretence with transparency, seeking out with looking in. It’s the only way our light and inner-knowing can shine through. We need to get our rigid ideas and expectations out of our system and become comfortable again with a blank slate – even if that means feeling our discomfort with it first.

When we allow ourselves to be completely empty of intention, all that will be left is what is true for us. In my case, the choice I have recently made in my life turns out to be true still, and in resonance with me even after I released my hidden intentions and hopes that “it will get better.” In some cases, people have based their choices solely on hopes and intentions, only to find out that without such expectations and neediness, they are genuinely pulled towards something completely different. Regardless of outcomes, what is important is that we are learning to be our true selves in every moment – while also knowing that what is true to us today may change tomorrow.

“Know that what you want today may not be what you want tomorrow. Don’t make an identity out of what you want, we are fluid beings, we transform constantly.” – Franco DeNicola

Know that whatever life throws our way in terms of challenges, it is in a sense to “purify our intentions.” It is when we are simply open to life as opposed to narrow with expectations that we can truly be in the driver seat of our experience and live authentically, moment to moment. That is when we are truly able to align our greater purpose and bring true change into the world. Every challenge is one more opportunity to be honest with ourselves and become one with our inner-guidance.

“Release your struggle, let go of your mind, throw away your concerns, and relax into the world. No need to resist life, just do your best. Open your eyes and see that you are far more than you imagine. You are the world, you are the universe; you are yourself and everyone else, too! It’s all the marvelous Play of God. Wake up, regain your humor. Don’t worry, just be happy. You are already free!” – Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior

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Collective Evolution (CE) believes in creating change by thinking outside the box. We aim to challenge the current status quo by shaking up how we currently think about the world. We encourage and inspire each other to take action with the goal of bringing to life a bright future for us all. Learn more...